Applied Materials Dispels Solar Technology Myths and Sets Path for More Renewable Energy Use
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 16, 2009--
The first sentence of "Survey Methodology" graph of release dated June
16, 2009 should read: Applied Materials engaged Ketchum Global Research
Network to design and analyze a telephone survey of a nationally
representative sample of 1,000 American adults and 200 adults in each of
the following five states... (sted Applied Materials engaged Ketchum
Global Research Network to design and analyze a telephone survey of a
nationally representative sample of 1,000 adults, comprised of 200
adults in each of the following five states...).
The corrected release reads:
“IN LIGHT” OF SUMMER SOLSTICE, AMERICANS CALL FOR MORE SOLAR ENERGY
Applied Materials Dispels Solar Technology Myths and Sets Path for
More Renewable Energy Use
As Americans prepare to enjoy the longest day of the year on Sunday,
June 21 during the summer solstice, Applied Materials, a leading
supplier of solar manufacturing equipment, has released a survey
reflecting the general public’s understanding and opinions about solar
energy. The findings indicate that a majority of people surveyed believe
in the potential of solar technology and want the U.S. government and
utilities to do more to speed its adoption, although some have outdated
views.
“The summer solstice is a good time to celebrate the unique power of the
sun,” said Dr.
Charles Gay, president of Applied Solar. “Applied Materials is
working to build a better understanding of how solar technology can
provide the country with energy that is efficient, beneficial and now
cost-competitive for peak usage in specific regions.”
According to the survey, Americans are calling for more solar energy and
faster integration of renewable power into the U.S. energy mix:
-
Half of the people surveyed (50%) think the U.S. Government’s goal to
have 25% of its power generated by renewable energy by 2025 is too
slow.
-
Four out of five (81%) agree that solar energy should play a greater
role in meeting our nation’s energy needs in the next five years.
-
More than two-thirds (68%) think utilities should include solar
electricity as a part of their energy generation.
-
Just over half (52%) would be willing to pay more per month if their
utility company increased its use of renewable energy. But many
consumers (41%) would not be willing to pay more, demonstrating the
important role that government incentives, to bring down solar costs,
will have on advancement of the technology.
Dispelling Myths and Providing Solar
Solutions
“Applied Materials’ solar energy strategy is to bring significant change
to the solar industry by enabling lower cost-per-watt solutions for
solar photovoltaic (PV) cell manufacturing,” said Gay. “Our goal is to
make solar energy a more meaningful contributor to the global energy
supply.”
One important step to meeting the company’s goal is to help educate the
public about the true potential of solar energy and refute common myths
about the sun as an energy source.
Considerable progress has been made advancing solar technology during
the past two decades, although many in the survey were not aware of
this. Applied Materials, for example, has introduced the SunFab
Thin Film Line™, a fully integrated production line for
manufacturing the world’s largest solar panels. A full-size SunFab panel
measures 5.7m2, or four times the size of traditional panels,
and covers an area about the size of a garage door. These larger panels
will help increase solar energy output and drive down costs. Experience
shows that increasing scale reduces costs–for each doubling of solar
installations worldwide, the cost per watt of solar energy has declined
by nearly 20%.
The survey also showed that Americans overestimate the amount of solar
energy used in this country. One in five people stated that 20% or more
of our energy comes from solar power. But solar energy accounts for less
than 0.01% of U.S. energy generation, even though solar is already
cost-competitive with fossil fuels for peak demand in such places as
Hawaii, California and New York.
Another misconception held by over half of the persons surveyed is that
solar panel installations on homes are the most efficient way to harness
solar energy. In fact, “solar farms” represent an underutilized source
for solar energy. The United States could supply its entire energy needs
by covering just 1.6% of its land area with solar cells. In fact,
putting solar cells on 1% of the area of global deserts would be
sufficient to produce electricity for all the people in the world.
Germany and Spain lead the world in solar energy use, thanks to the
revolutionary effect of government incentives. But one in four people
surveyed believe that the U.S. is the world leader. Policy changes at
the federal, state and local level can help the United States assume
more of a leadership role in solar energy use. Applied Materials,
headquartered in the Silicon Valley, has the nanomanufacturing
technology and capabilities to accelerate the growth of the United
States solar market. A single Applied SunFab™ tandem junction thin film
line can produce enough panels to generate 80 MW of electricity each
year, or enough to power over 35,000 homes during peak hours. In
addition to the environmental benefits, a solar factory containing one
SunFab line has the potential to generate an estimated $2 billion of
economic development and create over 2,500 local jobs over five
production years, according to an independent analysis.
To review the full findings of this survey and learn more about Applied
Materials' solar photovoltaic business, visit http://www.appliedmaterials.com/summer.
Survey Methodology
Applied Materials engaged Ketchum Global Research Network to design and
analyze a telephone survey of a nationally representative sample of
1,000 American adults and 200 adults in each of the following five
states: New York, California, Colorado, Texas and Florida. For purposes
of the survey, renewable energy was defined as energy generated from
resources that are naturally replenished, such as sunlight, wind, tides
and geothermal heat. The survey was fielded by Braun Research from June
5-8, 2009. The margin of error for the base sample is +/- 3.0% at the
95% confidence level.
About Applied Materials
Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMAT) is the global leader in
Nanomanufacturing Technology™ solutions with a broad portfolio of
innovative equipment, services and software products for the fabrication
of semiconductor chips, flat panel displays, solar photovoltaic cells,
flexible electronics and energy efficient glass. At Applied Materials,
we apply Nanomanufacturing Technology to improve the way people live.
Learn more at www.appliedmaterials.com.
Source: Applied Materials, Inc.
Applied Materials, Inc.
Howard Clabo, 408-748-5775 (Business Media)
Michael
Sullivan, 408-986-7977 (Financial Community)
